I am sorry if this is the wrong forum but the others seemed no more appropriatte. I was a former member of the NPGMC and downloaded a few tracks but since a recent crash and restore I seem to have lost the digital rights liscence anyone have any ideas how to getthese back?

Short answer: You can't.


The tracks with DRM from the NPGMC no longer work since the site is no longer up, so unless you burnt them to a CD, have phyiscal copies of what few tracks were made available on CD, or download them as DRM-free files illegally, there's no way to play these tracks.

I don't think it is legal for Prince (or his enterprise) to sell you the rights to download and keep copies of what he sold you, and then rescind the rights, unless in the agreement with NPGMC it specifically states you are only buying the rights for a limited time. buying a download is like buying a cd, you are allowed to keep it forever, the record company can't simply program the cd to stop working after a certain period of time without informing you of such upon purchase.

I think NPGMC members should file a civil suit against the NPGMC and give Prince a taste of his own legal medicine.

dumbass said:

So here's a thought that I read in the media a couple of years ago:

Record companies consider your purchase of a CD temporary. Here's what they said.

Let's say you bought a copy of COME. You like it. You rip it to your computer in MP3 format, and also put it on your iPod. So far so good, right? BUt then you decide you want to whittle down your CD collection in favor of more space in your living room. You figure you can let COME be sold in a tag sale. You sell it, and you don't own the CD anymore. The record company wants you to delete the MP3s your ripped to your computer, and erase them from your iPod as well. They figure if you don't own the CD, you shouldn't own the music. That idea really makes your CD purchase quite temporary, which they also stated.

I know. It's a totally insane idea, but that's how desperate record companies are to crack down on padding their wallets.

The DRM licensee files should have been on the same computer as the actual NPGMC tracks, so how do you have one without the other? Did you backup the wma's and not the DRMs?

Anyway, these tracks are easily available online (don't ask where). You paid for them, just find them elsewhere in their DRM-free form. This isn't even a moral issue. You have the right to own these songs.

Try to find WAVs/FLACs of the tracks, so you don't get twice-compressed audio (wma to mp3 = bad). The best place to start would be uploads of lossless silver CDs. Check sites with in-depth info on bootleg releases and start from there.

I'm actually suprised how many people bought the stuff and never burned them to CD's. That was the first thing I did with all of them just in case something like this were to happen. I'm glad I did. I'm sorry that this has happened to you.

dumbass said:

Post / Username

TwiliteKid said:

ahh, yes, can't dispute the position (which makes you the dumbass if you are incapable of doing so) so you attack the person. nice logic there, or lack thereof.

it really does take a real mental midget to think they are not only being so witty by using my name, which I purposefully picked, as an insult, but so observant that they can tie it to the validity of my position. yeah, that hasn't been done before. of course, it's generally only done by people not smart enough to actually address my positions, like you.

ernestsewell said:

they are right in that regard. when you buy a cd, you are allowed to make yourself back-up copies of that cd, so they are seen as one in the same. but if you get rid of the cd, you no longer have a legal right to those back-up copies since they are no longer back-ups, they are just copies, which you are not allowed to do (basic laws, you are prohibited from reproducing and redistributing the music). so, essentially, if you buy a cd, copy it and get rid of the original, you haven't made a back-up copy to protect against the loss of the cd, you have reproduced the cd and redistributed it to yourself. it's really no different than borrowing a friends cd and copying it.

TwiliteKid said:

Cold.

dumbass said:

It was a joke man. Lighten the hell up.

I didn't bother to refute your post for a couple of reasons:

1) Because it's a tired argument, one that's been made countless times around here. Folks need to learn to use the search function.

2) Because, as I've said before, anyone who thinks they have a legal recourse over the fact that they can't play the NPGMC files anymore is delusional. Nothing you purchase is guaranteed to work forever. I feel for the people who didn't back up the files, but a civil suit would be a massive waster of time.

djdaffy1227 said:

agree. i can't believe people don't create permanent copies of music they legitimately download from the net as soon as they've purchased it.

it's like buying frozen meat and not putting it in the freezer straight away and then moaning that it's gone off.

TwiliteKid said:

except a digital product should last forever as long as it isn't destroyed, so that isn't comparable to a physical device that has expected wear and tear. obviously no court has ruled on this dynamic, so in discussion it is a matter of who can make the better argument for or against it, and your argument doesn't hold up to scrutiny and relies on an irrelevant comparison. a digital product is extremely different from a physical product and thus new criteria has to be established for them, but you want to rely on old criteria.

Prince can certainly program his downloads to only work for a finite time, but that damn well be communicated to the consumer upon purchasing it when the normal expectation is for that file to work as long as they have it. whether your barbecue or deck umbrella is expected to deteriorate over time is irrelevant.
[Edited 5/26/09 23:29pm]

exarch said:

Use google.
Hack the DRM.
Good luck.

dumbass said:

Yes, but the technology used by npgmc is defective by design.
This, coupled with the care that mr Prince displays for long-term projects (i.e.: multiple years) makes it quite predictable that you're on your own now.
Just hack the DRM. Recently I even posted links about this on this forum.

udo said:

You can't "hack" the DRM Udo. You can only remove it from files for which you have a valid, functional license.

m3taverse said:

But that would equal to playing the files the normal way with your media player and 'stealing' the PCM from the driver of your (fake?) soundcard.
And what DRM are you talking about?

udo said:

The problem exists when you change PCs or hard drive, due to a PC crashing or merely cos you want to upgrade. If you haven't or can't transfer the original licences properly to a new hard drive you cannot play the files again. This is because the NPGMC files' DRM licences were linked to 1 "home" PC.

The hacking of the DRM can only be done with BOTH the original intact files AND the valid DRM Licenses using a Fairuse style application.

Of course if you burnt everything you purchased to CD, you can rip the audio back again. This does not work at all with the WMV video files (they could not be burnt to a Video CD or DVD in the same way, although if you tried, the audio from the video files was burnt to a CD-R).
[Edited 5/27/09 3:20am]

KeithyT said:

Thanks, so we can also find a certain amount of neglect from the side of the uninformed abuser?
A) make backups
B) verify backups
C) see A

This wasn't done in any way, I understand.
The FairUse method is the easy way, isn't there a brute force method that is usable?
Or at least a centralised effort to torrent all npgmc drm-infected files freed from drm?

dumbass said:

But you downloaded the music to a physical device, now you no longer have the music because of a fault with that physical device.

If you scratched a CD would you expect prince to email you copies of the files from it?

Wow suprising level of response! As a matter of interest I did burn the tracks to CD or most of them anyway but just wanted to access the DRM license. I am still using my 1 "home" pc but it got corrupted and in the data rescue the licenses appear not to have been restored. I have e-mailed the new incarnation of Prince online but as yet no response. As a fan since '88 I remain saddened but unsuprised by his organisations lack of effective costumer service but suggest we are all adults making informed decisions with our money and continue to buy the music we love despite the flaws of the provider.

Peace, Love and Be Wild (ish)

Exarch

udo said:

There are no exploits in circulation that streamline a brute force attack against Windows Media DRM.
Your only option is to download from someplace else.

exarch said:

There was also an issue with NPGMC DRM licenses getting "lost" after updating Windows Media Player to a newer version. There was a patch provided by Microsoft which fixed this and restored the missing connection - luckily.

Shit happens all the time. Anything with copy protection needs to be immediately converted to a DRM-free state to protect your investment.

I recommend using a torrent app and downloading your purchases again.